Insects are one (1) of the most common and persistent annoyances associated with any outdoor activity, especially biting insects such as horse flies. Additionally, commercial loss to livestock and crops due to insect damage and the spread of disease through blood-feeding insect bites is in the multi-millions of dollars per year in the United States. Large insect populations in outdoor areas can be attributed in part to areas of open standing water, dried grass, and the like. In cultivated fields, the insect population can be even higher due to the presence of livestock feed, bails of hay, and the like which can provide an ideal breeding ground for many types of insect life.
Attempts to collect and destroy insects have provided various alternatives. One (1) attempt to control insect populations is the use of insecticides. Disadvantageously, insecticides are harmful to the environment, expensive, and can ultimately lead to insect populations which are resistant to the chemicals used. Other alternatives include insect collecting and trapping devices which can control large populations of insects without the use of chemical insecticides. Various large traps are designed to allow livestock to walk through and remove any insect pests from the livestock and trap them in a screen type trapping element. With these devices the trapping element is only available on the interior of the trap housing and is ineffective for protecting crops or reducing the annoyance to people in outdoor settings. Electric insect trapping and killing devices can provide for a wide range of applications but are hindered by the requirement of being tethered to an electricity source and can become expensive to constantly operate. Mesh fly control traps provide an effective way to control outdoor flies and other insects, but these devices unfortunately require the use of bait that has to be placed inside the trap which requires regular monitoring to maintain effectiveness and are not durable enough to leave in a field or similar area.
While these devices may fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each suffers from one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Accordingly, the need exists for a means by which large numbers of flying insects can be destroyed without the aforementioned problems. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.